


Aqua Vitae

by CherLnIDA



Category: Hazbin Hotel (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst and Feels, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Awkwardness, Curses, Demons, Dreams and Nightmares, Drowning, Inspired by Florence + the Machine, M/M, Psychological Horror, Slow Romance, Spirits, Water
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:34:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25623718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CherLnIDA/pseuds/CherLnIDA
Summary: Charlie has an idea for an addition to the hotel before renovations can start, a pool for clients to relax; with Alastor's help, the pool is installed, but before anyone can have fun in their new pool, Angeldust nearly drowns...Angeldust hasn't been the same since the incident, something or someone, is beckoning him to sleep beneath the waters.
Relationships: Alastor/Angel Dust (Hazbin Hotel)
Comments: 20
Kudos: 153





	1. Chapter 1

Aqua Vitae 

By Cherilyn Ohlau 

Hazbin Hotel is owned by Vivienne "Vivziepop" Medrano

  
  


_And oh, poor Atlas_

_The world's a beast of a burden_

_You've been holding on a long time_

_And all this longing_

_And the ships are left to rust_

_That's what the water gave us_

_So lay me down_

_Let the only sound_

_Be the overflow_

_Pockets full of stones_

_Lay me down_

_Let the only sound_

_Be the overflow_

_'Cause they took your loved ones_

_But returned them in exchange for you_

_But would you have it any other way?_

_Would you have it any other way?_

_You could have it any other way_

_\- Florence+The Machine ("What The Water Gave Me")_

  
  


_Oh, the blooming, bloody spider went up the spider web,_

_The blooming, bloody rain came down and washed the spider out,_

_The blooming, bloody sun came out and dried up all the rain,_

_And the blooming, bloody spider came up the web_

_again_

_\- Spider Song, 1910_

  
  


_Chapter One_

  
  


Angeldust was craving alcohol again, it wasn't just a craving this time, but a need to have. It was almost at the crack of dawn at the hotel, and Alastor was talking to Charlie at the floor lobby about proper "spectacular renovations" and to "give some class and glamour". He didn't realize the arrangements lasted so long, was it weeks, a month? He lost track of the days, as he found himself laughing and smiling a little more when Alastor walked in on him practicing stretching, and pole dancing with a pole room that was an extension of his assigned room. Alastor always broke into sputters of confusion and his static tone dropped to a squeak. Angeldust noticed Fat Nuggets wasn't at his pink pet bed in the corner, indicating that the pig had rushed downstairs while he was asleep. He sighed, fixing himself and his hair before heading down to the lobby.

"Hey, get your piggy!" Husk yelled gruffly, having a card game with Nifty on the counter, but was being constantly interrupted by Nuggets constant chewing from a box with unopened cockatiel garnish jars, "It's not feeding time yet! I'm busy!" 

Niffty giggled, "Don't you mean busy _losing?"_

"NO! You got lucky the first three rounds!" 

Angeldust rolled his eyes and picked Nuggets up, "So, uh, what's the ruckus about? This sagging garbage joint gon' get some spit shine and new paint?" he joked, "I usually like the smell of ass, don't get me wrong, but there's way too much ass smell for my taste."

"Maybe if you stopped rubbing yourself against everything in the damn building it wouldn't smell like butt," Husk retorted.

Angeldust laughed dryly, "Would you rather me rubbing you instead, pussycat?" he cooed. 

Husk's eyes widened into saucers, "You want to what?!"

"I mean...if you're offering I rub something else…" Angeldust continued.

"F-fuck you, you freaking...four limped...nymph guy!" 

"Love you too, Husky," Angeldust smirked, before putting Nuggets down, "Now be a good Nuggie and wait until breakfast time." He pulled out a rubber squeak ball and Nuggets started chewing the moment it went into his mouth. Angel knelt down and petted him, before being interrupted by a sharp crackle of laughter from the Radio Demon.

" _A spa?! A SPA?!"_ Alastor laughed, twirling his cane, ignoring Vaggie's exasperated grimace and Charlie's bashfulness, " _My dear, we're a hotel, a spa is just a spa. Even though I love the idea of demons boiling themselves into thick broth is delightful. I simply cannot compromise with this. Besides, it's Hell, Hell hasn't been frozen for mere_ **centuries** _! It's typically hot as an oven."_

"Yes, but…" Charlie stammered, twiddling her fingers, "We need clients to relax and have fun?"

Alastor said nothing in reply, keeping his judging grin.

"A pool! You know, with that nice classy look of...reclining chairs, and tanning?" 

" _As much as I don't like the thought of Angeldust in a bikini, I will make arrangements. I will observe at a distance while your clientele try to drown each other."_

Charlie beamed, "See? Told you he'd agree! Do you think we should hire a lifeguard, Vaggie?" she said excitedly, "Or get one of those volleyball nets?"

"We have to make sure the water is even _safe_ first—" Vaggie started until Angeldust interrupted her. 

"What's all this talk about a pool? Ya mean a Jacuzzi?" 

Alastor's eyes expressed annoyance although his grin didn't change, but he still politely coughed and looked at Angeldust, " _Shouldn't you be_ busy _with something?"_ Alastor replied.

"Well excuse me ladies for wanting me to join the conversation," Angeldust said dryly, his two lower arms flailing in emphasis, "So, uh, about this pool? It's gonna be steamy, right?"

" _Well I can certainly dump some hot piping radiators into it if you wanted a sauna."_

"Not in the mood for your tongue flapping as usual, Al…" Angeldust retorted, "Does this place have a wine cellar or something? I want booze." 

"What happened to the ones at the bar?" Charlie inquired.

"Ehh...not enough buzz and I think Husk boy drank half of them by now," Angeldust huffed, "Ya got something more…" he moved his two index fingers beside his shoulders, making a circle motion, "More, um...strong? Something that'll give a buzz high?" Alastor couldn't help but be amused, shaking his head as he tried not to laugh.

" _I see you are craving something of a more forbidden variety, perhaps we have at least something in common. The yearning of the finest alcohol imaginable! Might I interest you in the Green Fairy?"_

"Green F-?"

" _Absinthe, my dear, Absinthe! Now, come with me to the bar counter to educate you about the magnificent powers of the Green Fairy!"_ Alastor gently pushed Angeldust to the bar, sometimes teasing his feet by putting his cane between, and lightly tapping them, until Angel sat down. Alastor put his cane aside, after he got to the other side of the bar. Alastor presented a seething red flame in his palms, it danced around his claws, changing from blue, to black, purple before it was a fierce light green. Alastor shoved the flames into the counter, and out of a circle, a tray of elegant glasses, and an odd round green alcohol bottle on top of embroidery appeared. Angeldust examined the glass, disappointed at how small they were. He at least wanted bigger wine glasses. " _Those utter plebeians started banning this wonderful ambrosia in the mid 1930s! Such a sore!"_

"Hey Alastor, why are the glasses teeny?" 

" _Oh, Angel, you really are uncouth. This is the_ preferred _method of drinking Absinthe. It's very powerful, so powerful in fact that it influences artists and musicians!"_

Angeldust giggled, "Fine, stud, I'll drink from this dinky glass; but, don't blame me if I want seconds…"

Alastor uncorked the top of the Absinthe bottle before pouring it politely into the small glasses. Angeldust leaned slightly to see what kind of brand it was, but he unfortunately could not read it other than the name _Laveaux_ and _d'Absinthe_ in vintage art nouveau font; Angeldust wished he could make out dates but he could only make out was **1933**. Alastor noticed his curiosity. 

"Something the matter, is it too mature for you?" 

Angeldust was cut off guard when the static nature of the demon stopped. Alastor very rarely dropped off that tone unless he was becoming aggressive, or otherwise intimidating yet there was no hint of anger. Angeldust felt his heart pace and tried to keep an appearance of a cool demeanor, even if Alastor could see through his transparency. "Um, no…" Angeldust replied, "Is this from your stash?" 

Alastor laughed, " _From my personal collection, good fellow. I certainly wouldn't call it a stash of sorts,"_ he offered Angeldust the glass. He carefully took it and smelled it. Angeldust usually had a strong gag reflex, but the sharp sweet medicine scent of it made him burst into small coughs.

"Why does it smell like that?!" Angeldust exclaimed. 

Alastor seemed to be amused by his reaction, " _Absinthe is mixed with mugroot and anise, but this is from my personal collection from when I was alive. The brewer of this particular brand is let's say not a common brewer, therefore this liquor is almost...divine."_

Angeldust eyed the glass more, "This ain't gonna taste like cold medicine, is it?" he sighed when Alastor didn't answer, instead Alastor had started drinking. Angeldust closed his eyes and drank it down, coughing and wheezing at the intensity of it; at first it tasted like cough drops, it was sour and bitter on his tongue till a subtle rosy and fruity taste enveloped it, but the bitter after taste lingered. He caught his breath. Alastor chuckled.

" _Too strong, is it?"_

"I've swallowed...mm...worse…" Angeldust wheezed, "This shit...a-ain't nothing…" He grabbed the bottle and examined it, "Just how strong is this stuff anyway?!"

" _Seventy percent,"_ Alastor answered plainly.

"Fuck, even as a heavy drinker, this shit is gonna turn my brain into noodles—urmph—and that herb aftertaste, _bleh!"_

" _Well, you wanted liquor, I simply provided,_ " Alastor teased, dusting himself off after finishing his drink, " _Enjoy that Green Fairy. I have work to do."_ Alastor picked up his cane, and started leaving the counter, heading to the foyer, only to be interrupted when he felt a sharp grab of his wrist; he turned his head aggressively, his eyes glowing red as brimstone, and a black aura came off his back like smoke. 

"Hey, save the spoopy atmosphere for someone who cares," Angeldust said, holding Alastor's sleeve, "I need to ask you something." 

" **LET** . **GO** . **FIRST**."

Angeldust flinched from his guttural growling. He let go and gave a sheepish, if embarrassed smile. Alastor paused, his shoulders stiff in irritation, and raised an eyebrow that Angeldust wasn't pulling his usual cheeky advantages. He rubbed his temples, although he rarely frowned, he couldn't help but feel a scowl. Angeldust looked more apologetic, even though it was fun to get on the Radio Demon's skin in playful teasing...it hurt to see such a face, there was more animosity in those sharp teeth, and narrowed deadly eyes, than when Alastor usually spoke. 

" _What is it now?!"_ Alastor said, " _I told you I am quite busy."_

Angeldust fell silent, his arms sagging. "It's nothing…" he lied, "Looking forward to the pool, Smiles." 

Alastor left in the shadows as the Hellish dawn raised up. Angeldust looked on from the entrance door, his two top shoulders crossing, and his two below hands were at his hips. He didn't understand it. He didn't understand why he grabbed Alastor like that, it was different from their typical banter; and it just felt magnetic. He scoffed thinking he was so close to asking if Alastor was free tomorrow. He could only conclude that work was running him ragged. 

  
  


_XX Pool of Styx_ was an important part of making sure demons and damned souls never overheated, they were the only installers and contractors who provided even Lucifer an indoor pool. They just never expected Alastor to visit them regarding putting such an essential pool in the _Hazbin Hotel_ on Charlie's behalf. The paperwork was signed quickly, and installers started to work on the pool before Charlie could ever greet them; one particular installer kept checking her phone, a Tarantula hawk like woman in the jumpsuit uniform with her yellow wings uncomfortably sliding out slits in the back. "Um…" Charlie started awkwardly, "What exactly do you do, missus-?" 

"Cornelia Villa…" she replied, fixing her blonde hair that dropped down to her hips, "What do you want? I ain't got all day." 

"I mean...what do you do as an installer?" 

Cornelia rolled her eyes, "I handle summoning circles. I design them, you know, for alternative water sources that'll never run out. The water comes back up and self cleans...I ain't got nothing to do a few hours while they dig and shit." 

Charlie nervously laughed, "Gee, you're not the happiest of the bunch, are you?" she said, "If you want I can bring tea, soda, or...we have a bar, but you can make smoothies there without the alcohol, and—" she started.

"Your attitude pisses me off." 

Vaggie had been talking about Charlie's initial design, explaining in detail what her girlfriend wanted; but she was caught off guard when she noticed Charlie looked hurt from talking with Cornelia. She tried to leave, but the head installer was still inquiring about the measurements needed. She sighed. Someone else would need to intervene before Vaggie could pop a blood vessel. 

"Hey handsome," Angeldust flirted with one of the installer men putting up a statue, "Wanna see something else you wanna get wet on?" 

"Angel!" Vaggie barked. 

" _Whaaaaat?_ " he said in annoyance, "I gotta make money too, you know." 

Vaggie glared, "Look, just get that wasp lady off Charlie," she said firmly. Angeldust looked taken aback by the request; he slowly glanced over and he noticed Cornelia. Angeldust seemed to recognize her, almost rushing over and getting in between Cornelia and Charlie.

"A-Angel? What are you…" Charlie stammered.

"You best get to your babe, while I handle this stupid bitch," Angeldust assured her. 

"Wait, you know her?" 

Angeldust chuckled, "All the more reason you should be with your toots, and not here. It's going to be messy so...I wouldn't want ya to be in the middle of it, besides, you really want this pool, right?" Charlie was reluctant to leave at first. She just didn't want Angeldust to break into a fight with a wasp demon, but she caved in realizing they would just talk; however, this is still Angeldust. 

"Please, _don't_ break anything?" Charlie squeaked before running to be with Vaggie. Cornelia laughed. 

"So, this is where you're squatting now? Was Valentino's luxury too much for you?" Cornelia teased, venom dripping from her words. 

" _Don't bring up that motherfucker's name in front of me!"_ Angeldust yelled, pointing an accusing finger at her, "I'm here to be part of this project set up by the princess...well, that's part of it, at least Fat Nuggets and I have a home away from that asswipe." 

"I see...so," Cornelia smirked, "Is this more a rehab?" 

Angeldust could only guess Cornelia never saw Charlie's interview on TV; this job was extremely demanding to souls and demons who wanted a cold place to relax. Angeldust could only awkwardly answer "Sort of?" it was supposed to help him be redeemed, but Angeldust was more in it for the shelter and not being in the clutches of his past pimp. Cornelia smiled, half amused.

"I doubt you'll ever drop your addictions," Cornelia said blindfold, "You can't even have a day without fucking for money!"

"Yeah, yeah, rub it harder like a sandpaper cock, toots," Angeldust retorted, "Did you really just have a break from your pool making just to put Charlie and I in a twist?!"

Cornelia was interrupted by a yell before she could answer; she brushed aside Angeldust and started working on the summoning circle of the pool. Angeldust felt a hole inside himself as he stood there, Cornelia's words hung like cigarette smoke in his wake. 

_I doubt you'll drop your addictions…_

  
  


Charlie thought it was a good idea to throw a small celebration in the opening of their new pool. Charlie ordered a spread of sushi and pizza, but Alastor didn't touch any of it realizing it was mostly cheap. Angeldust was the only one out of the group who seemed more deflated than usual; there was no flirting banter this time, or erotic eating. Angeldust was clutching his head as if he had a headache, and letting out long sighs. 

Husk would normally not care if Angeldust had a hard day, his life was just as hard in Hell, but seeing the spider demon be so damn limp and not in the least sexually enthusiastic was just wrong to him. It's what made Angeldust somewhat fun to be with, and Husk loved seeing Alastor feel the end of Angeldust's flirts. Husk poked at Angeldust with a claw, causing the other to let out a yelp. 

"You okay?" Husk wanted to add 'you look like shit' but held it back. 

"Go back to eating your food, pussycat…" Angeldust replied.

"No, seriously, what is up with you?! What happened to you?! You're usually a freaking seducer and a half at this hour!" 

"Yeah, well, aren't I allowed to have bad days?! I might be into sex but even I just need quiet time to get my head into gear, so shut up, Husk!" Angeldust exclaimed. 

"Miss Angel?" Niffty started, "Are you sad about Master Alastor snapping at you?" 

Angeldust sighed, his cheeks felt rosy from the mention of Alastor, "When isn't he giving me lip?" he pushed his plate aside, "Pah, all this talk is making my mood worse...I'm gonna go out on the town awhile…" he huffed and started leaving upstairs, his hips swaying. 

  
  


Angeldust figured lingering around the Red Light district of Hell would get his mood back, and at least he could have his clients pay for him, and not be transitioned to Valentino. He could have a day of lust and money-making to himself; hell, if things worked out, his hotel room could have upgrades before renovations were made official. He checked his schedules on his phone, fixing his mink coat, till he noticed a few wet droplets hit the screen and felt a coldness on his back. Angeldust shivered, wrapping himself more in his coat, "Aw, fuck, I hate rainy days…" he hissed, "You gotta be shitting me-!" He rushed inside the nearest bar and sat at a booth. He leaned over, shoulders crossed as he thought to himself. He knew patrons and local demons were eyeing despite his body language, so he glared them down like wild dogs. Angeldust was more than ready to pull his gun out and—

" _My dear, I know spiders are not used to water, no less rain, but let me be blunt and say you look like an absolute mess!"_

"Damn it, Al!" Angeldust fumed, "Who told you to follow me?!" Alastor was in a separate booth behind him, and he must've teleported there since he never heard the bar doors open. 

" _Charlie did. I was busy eating Venison Tartar when I was called for; you really have a bad habit, acting so rash. Not that I don't mind, it's positively entertaining how much of a spitfire you are!"_ Alastor replied. 

"Did you come here just to laugh at me?" Angeldust asked. 

" _Well, no, just making sure our client doesn't cause more trouble; but unlike Charlie, I don't mind if you indulge in sin. This bar you picked though...is positively ghastly."_

"You really are a piece of work," Angeldust said, "You didn't need to follow me. Hell, you're the fucking Radio Demon, you got enough power to play around demons like dominoes, and you pick to babysit _me?!_ I can take care of myself!" 

Alastor seemed to ignore what Angeldust exclaimed in his outburst, whether it was because it was hard to answer, or he didn't want to answer; Angeldust couldn't tell. Alastor reclined himself on the leather seating, and Angeldust felt his body growing nervous as he felt the demon stare him down from behind. 

" _About this morning…"_

"Yeah, whatta about it?" Angeldust didn't want to be reminded of it. 

" _You grabbed me with sudden urgency, what did you need me for?"_ Alastor asked, his legs crossing lazily.

"N-nothing...i-it was just impulse…" 

" _So it's normal for you to grab other men's hands in need?"_

"I told you it was goddamned nothing!" Angeldust yelled, standing up from his seat, "Look, my...my emotions are just stuck in a frigging compact right now-! I'm just...just...unlike myself! Leave me to my thoughts, Smiles, and go back to the hotel!" Alastor also stood up from his seat after, startling Angeldust at first. The demon leaned over and took Angeldust's hand with a tenderness he never knew, and out of thin air, a closed red umbrella appeared. 

" _You'll be cold from the hellish rain, and Charlie will blame me for it. Come back when you need to, and don't make me track you down,"_ Alastor said.

Angeldust couldn't help but smile then, he felt tears go down bitterly once Alastor left the door and disappeared in the darkness left by the rain clouds. 

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter Two_

  
  
  


_"Sleeping with the fishes" was a phrase Anthony had grown to find silly. It was a stupid phrase brought on by comics about the Italian mafia, and least he and his brother found it hilarious; despite the two hardly getting along because of their father's favoritism.._

_Anthony no longer found it funny when it was his turn to be on the other end of the phrase. It was another mafia family, they hired hitmen for a large sum of money and using a decoy, lured Anthony to be wrapped and restrained. He felt bags of large stones be added to his pockets, and extra weight be added within his socks._

_"Change of plans, the ransom ain't going in…" one of the men said, "If you don't want to die in the depths, I suggest you cry to daddy and tell him we're not playing."_

_"Figlio di puttana!" Anthony spat, "Sei un rompicoglioni!"_

_"Cute, you're so mad your Italian is slipping out…" he stroked Anthony's chin, and Anthony bit into his finger; while the hitman groaned, he pushed Anthony into the waters. The splash was so loud and blaring that his head was ringing, yet halfway in, he felt the rope tighten. Those mongrels were already planning to use him as a fucking worm against the tides, and he already had a hard time holding his breath._

_The pressure was driving Anthony mad…_

  
  
  


Angeldust woke up, startling himself awake from the memory. He looked around realizing he was sitting on a bench at a bus stop; the rain was pouring in hard, and the salty smell was giving him a headache. He was never fond of rainy days, as the air felt humid and oppressive. He felt pushed down, nothing but a mere spider seeking shelter from the storm—that stench, that horrible salty stench the air carried—it reminded Angeldust too much of his past ordeals. Angeldust clutched Alastor's umbrella handle before opening it up above his head. He checked his phone again for his clients; just a fuck, just one fuck, Angeldust didn't seem to care if one of the asshole perverts was bad at it, he needed a screw to get his mind off Alastor and this horrible weather. 

The fuck in question was with a client who was recently new, a CEO of a corporate office, or something along those lines. It was a large sum of money being offered, and Angeldust agreed. It was a rough screw because Angeldust found himself unable to keep himself aroused while his client provided a good enough rhythm between his legs. Angeldust found it annoying and closed his eyes halfway as this demon continued...he found himself moaning in pleasure when he thought of Alastor, of all demons, screwing him senseless. Angeldust couldn't control his vocals, moaning "Alastor!" at the height of his climax. 

Angeldust felt embarrassed after the session. He knew he had it for the Radio Demon, but was it this bad? "So, I had no idea Alastor had you as his bitch now," the client teased, smoking on a cigarette.

"Shut the fuck up. It was just a fantasy, alright?! Besides, you're bad in bed. No wonder the Karen's won't even touch you! You're absolutely flaccid!" 

"That's tough talk coming from a slut who has a hard on for a monster." 

"And that's talk coming from an asswipe who has more layoffs and employee crunch times, than his flabby noodle dick," Angeldust retorted before picking up the suitcase full of money, "See ya, and don't call me back. You can just eat a cactus cock." 

  
  


Angeldust returned to the hotel in the middle of the night. He took a shower and laid himself down, pulling the pillow close. He was plagued by thoughts of Alastor even in his dreams that lasted until morning. He sighed and sat up, rubbing his eyes while stretching. Angeldust remembered about their new pool and noticed he could see it clearly from his floor; even though he wasn't that fond of pools, aside from spa baths, Jacuzzis and hot springs; he had to admit their new hotel pool looked inviting. It wouldn't hurt to dip his feet in a little...after all, it was intended mostly for clients, but Angeldust wouldn't mind the others being there with him. It was still cold from the recent rain, but Angeldust didn't mind. Angeldust went to the pool area, taking off his boot from his right leg and felt the waters. He expected it to be freezing, but was surprised to feel it be warm to the touch. 

"Ooh, nice, so this is the power of a summon circle pool! I had no idea that it could change temperatures!" This meant less hassle, and once Hell had a heatwave, the pool temperature would be fair and refreshing, not feeling like swimming in a freezer. 

"Angel, don't stand close to the pool like that…!" Charlie warned, rushing over, pulling him back with his arm.

"Aw, it's nothing," Angeldust shrugged, "I was just giving it a feel, it's not like I'm gonna be dragged in." 

"Just as long as you don't stand so close to the steep area," she said, "You're an agile guy but...I don't know how great you are at swimming. Have you taken arachnid swimming lessons?" 

Angeldust was flabbergasted, "Arachnid swimming lessons?! What do you take me for, a girl scout?! I can swim as well as the rest of ya!" Angeldust knew well he was lying between his teeth and it wouldn't be that much of a big deal if it came out later, Angeldust couldn't swim. He hated himself for not knowing much, aside from flails and doggy paddles. He wasn't a great swimmer when he was alive either, Angeldust had vague memories of being scared of the deeper side of the pools during the late 30s and embracing his sister for dear life. 

"Well, if you say so," Charlie said, trusting Angeldust's words, "Alastor doesn't want to swim himself or, go tanning on the recliner...he said something about dog marks?" 

"Dog marks? What, did he get ravaged by a bunch of hellhounds—?"

"No, no, not marks when he's alive. Those heal, I mean...marks before he became a demon." 

Angeldust's expression softened, "Oh, you mean living living…" he said sadly. 

"He doesn't want to be reminded of it." 

"I can relate to that, princess…" 

Charlie soon realized how negative and saddened the atmosphere had become, and playfully pulled Angeldust down and ruffled his air in friendly affection. "Soo, how are things developing between you and Alastor?" she smiled, "I mean, you had a bad time last night." 

"Look Charlie, I appreciate it," Angeldust chuckled, "But, eh, you wanna have a pool party today or something?" 

Perhaps Angeldust read Charlie too well, the two had something of a small friendship already, even if he felt annoyed at times for the enthusiasm to come clean. Angeldust felt today, he needed Charlie's obnoxious happiness, and any excuse just to flirt with Husk and Alastor again like old times sake. Angeldust felt a little happy to see Charlie bounce a little, clapping her hands and exclaiming, "I can finally see Vaggie in the bathing suit I bought for her death day!" she beamed. She waved at Angeldust before quickly leaving.

"Well, at least I made _someone_ happy," Angeldust laughed dryly.

He sat down at the edge of the pool, letting one of his legs hang lazily beneath the water. Angeldust felt the waters with his palms, letting the sounds of ripples calm his nerves.

  
  


Alastor had opened the door leading to the pool, if only to make sure it was built to his tastes. He sighed a little, seeing Angeldust in an emotional trance with the pool water. He walked besides him and lightly tapped his cane to catch Angeldust's attention, but it seemed like the demon spider was preoccupied with his thoughts; Alastor was taken aback by this, typically Angeldust was all over him, or at least being straightforward with his flirts. " _Angel? You know it's very rude to give me the cold shoulder…"_ the silence was palpable. Alastor wondered if Angeldust was livid about last morning, but he seemed just fine at the bar. It didn't add up. " _Angeldust? Angeldust! Listen to me, damn you! You're a tenant!"_ Alastor snapped, much more aggressive than usual, and whacked Angeldust at the back of his head. Angeldust let out a startled scream.

"Asshole! What was _that_ for?!" Angeldust snapped, "Wait, Al? How long have you been there?" 

"You...you didn't realize I was here?" Alastor replied in sincere confusion. 

"I didn't even know!" Angeldust exclaimed, "Hey, wait, don't change the subject. Why'd ya treat my head like a golf ball?" 

" _You were under a trance, of the sort."_

"A trance? Hypnosis? How?! You're the only one here who could've—"

" _I swear to my mother, I did not put you in that trance!"_ Alastor could feel his own voice quivering, not out of fear, but like a wild animal feeling that his territory had been invaded. Alastor's grin was growling with fangs bear, the glow of his eyes observed the stone and waters; out of an impulse that something was near, he grabbed Angeldust by his shoulders. He snarled and clamped his jaws as he tried pulling Angeldust out of the pool water, but instead he felt himself be dragged and Angeldust was struggling, being swallowed by the waters. Angeldust's spindly legs were his Achilles heel, while they were graceful and agile on land; they were hindering him. He was never a great swimmer when he was alive, but he was just a drowning insect in the afterlife. Angeldust struggled to put his head up in the water as Alastor looked on, nothing but a deer in headlights.

"Al…!" Angeldust screamed, "Fuck...hell-! Al…!" he coughed; his body never felt this heavy in years, and the water was going up to his neck, "Alastor, help me-! Help me god-fucking-dam—" 

Alastor couldn't move. He didn't know what to feel once Angeldust seemed to sink in the waters. His emotions couldn't comprehend the bubbles inside, was this fear? Grief? Alastor could only remember Niffty calling for Charlie and the others bordering on sobs, and Charlie shaking him back to the reality of this ordeal. 

"Miss Charlie! Miss Charlie! Miss Angel was pushed in!" Niffty cried out in worry, "Is she going to drown?!" 

"Did you really just push him in, you sack of shit?!" Husk yelled down at Alastor. 

"Everyone please, calm down!" Charlie ordered, taking off her suit and giving it to Vaggie, "As the owner of this hotel, Angeldust is my responsibility as a patient. So, everyone please stand by…" she sighed, looking at Alastor, disappointment painted on her face before she dived in. 

  
  


_Anthony squirmed like floundering fish bait, the disgusting saltiness of the ocean water and the shit floating around stung his eyes. He didn't want to die like this. He was part of an Italian mafia family, one of the scariest, and this is how he was going to go out? This isn't sleeping with the fishes at all, this was more like being dropped like an anchor but feeling your lungs fill up like balloons._

_Shit. Shit. Shit._

_Anthony was screaming into the water once he could no longer hold his breath._

_This was going to be it. Anthony closed his eyes, accepting the grim reapers hand before the rope started riding up…_

  
  
  


Charlie managed to pull Angeldust out in time, if only until before he could lose total consciousness. Alastor was aware of accusing eyes, even from Niffty, but the pain that hurt his black heart was seeing Angeldust looking like a broken man. Angeldust gave one look to Alastor, and turned his head away; that's what made the sensations trickle and boil. The high emotions brought on by the situation, and the conclusion jumping were swift without trial, nearly everyone had cast eyes on the Radio Demon. It was hard to explain that he didn't do it, all Alastor could do, along with the others was to keep an eye on Angeldust's condition. Charlie managed to use a spell for Angeldust to release the water from his body into a bucket, and was treated with what options were best in their limitations. Charlie called her mother regarding the emergency, the message left went through as Charlie's doctor tended to Angeldust's exhausted body. 

"How's spider guy doing?" Husk asked.

"Stable. He's stable, right now," Vaggie assured him, "Charlie's personal doctor handles a variety of demons, so…he'll be fine. He might go through mild psychological problems because of the lack of air. If...Charlie didn't get to him in time. It might've been much worse." 

"Oh damn," Husk grumbled, "So, uh, Angel is still going to be himself, right?"

"For the most part, at least in his current condition—but, until then the pool area is closed. Charlie is especially hard on herself about all this; I don't think you're aware but...we met Angeldust prior before the turf war thing," Vaggie held her head, struggling to keep her composure, "Angeldust is a valuable client, but I think Charlie doesn't see him as just that." 

"Odd pair of friends, is that it, Vaggie?" Husk replied before being bumped aside from Niffty.

"There's dirt inside! I smell dirt! It's so soil-y, _that it mocks me!"_ Niffty pointed to the door holding Charlie, her personal doctor and Angeldust. Husk was flabbergasted. 

" _Dirt?!_ Did a cleaning bucket fall on yer head?! Angel was dragged out of a clean pool; from what Charlie told me, not even a leaf can get in. She knew you'd overwork yourself cleaning the fucking thing—how about Alastor, is _he_ clean?!" Husk yelled.

"Master Alastor always irons his suit and has it steam cleaned." 

" _That's not what I meant!"_

The door suddenly opened and Charlie looked irritated from the sudden ruckus. "Can you guys keep it down?" she said softly, "Angel needs rest…" Husk and Niffty shared embarrassed looks, as if they were children caught being too loud in the halls, "Anyway, it seems like this isn't Angeldust's first case of drowning. My doctor found out the collective record through memory playback…" 

"The what," Husk said, dumbfounded.

"The collective record, every demon who used to be a human has one. It's something of a file that can only be read using a spell—to make a long story short—the collective record is a spell used to see documentation of your living life, sometimes...at a certain moment." 

"Ahh, you don't wanna check _my_ collective record, it's dusty and gritty as fuck I bet," Husk replied, "But, watcha mean this isn't Angeldust's first time drowning? He w—"

"I'm getting there Husk, you know Angeldust is part of a mafia family? His relatives? Even though the collective record was hard to read, it said that another family tried using Angeldust as ransom, his father was adamant about not bending over for them, and in the middle of the scuffle...well…" 

Husk sighed, pulling out a beer bottle, "So even when you're in Hell history can repeat. What a fucking kingdom this is!" he said in exasperation. 

"Oh Husk, I'm sure it's just a coincidence, but I feel responsible for letting Angeldust get like this," Charlie admitted, "He's our client, and he's also a friend." 

"You got to him in time before anything more could happen," Vaggie assured her. 

" _May I see him?"_ Alastor had manifested in the corner of the hallway, he ignored the glares from Husk and Vaggie. Alastor's demeanor had changed slightly, it was subtle, his usual smile felt more forced than anything. 

"Why do _you_ want to see him?" Vaggie hissed. 

" _If you think I am here to make deals while he is vulnerable, I am afraid you are mistaken, missus. I just need to know what Angel could have seen beneath the waters...something is amiss."_

"You're such a hypocrite…" Vaggie sighed, "You destroyed lives and when it comes to Angeldust you just recoil like a coward—" 

" _Things look more complicated than at face value. I don't expect anything of this moment from you, I must hear it from Angel."_

They had nothing to go on; yet, emotions were high from the recent events and even Alastor didn't seem like himself after Angeldust almost drowned in the pool. Vaggie looked at Charlie who agreed to let Alastor see Angeldust. Angeldust laid on the bed an IV placed on his two arms, as he stared at his ceiling in a daze, with bags of a pink medication on an IV pole. The doctor reacted negatively to seeing Alastor, startled to see him, but Charlie assured he was just a friend to the patient. "He's not going to take this demon's soul is he?" the doctor sputtered. Charlie shook her head and brought him to the hallway, leaving Angeldust and Alastor alone in the bedroom. Alastor sat down next to Angeldust at the edge of the bed, he fixed his collar before speaking. 

" _Tell me what happened...what caused you to lose footing like that?"_ Alastor asked, getting straight to the point rather than being vague. 

"The hell am I supposed to know…?" Angeldust coughed, "I don't...I don't remember half a damn...and my head feels like a split melon…" 

" _Surely you saw something off?"_

"Other than you being a motherfucking bystander who couldn't even offer a helping hand-!" Angeldust snapped. Alastor winced.

" _Yes, that part is definitely my responsibility. Angel, I am not used to helping others except for my own gain. A demon like I sees nothing but a sea of has-been souls who aren't worth anything but entertainment; however, this doesn't change. What happened before I came?"_

"Ya mean my trance?" 

" _Have you heard anything weird? Music, voices, or perhaps hymns?"_

"Al, you're asking a drowning victim here. I barely remember anything about what happened…" Angeldust said in exhaustion, "I must've got my foot stuck somehow and slipped in." 

"What happened to you was not natural. I was…" Alastor started. 

Angeldust fell just as quiet as Alastor did. Alastor couldn't finish his sentence, not with a thick thorn of guilt digging through his chest. Angeldust closed his eyes, trying to block out his memory of his drowning, but even after he was saved he could not rid the taste of a familiar sea salt taste on his tongue. 

_"Anthony, thank God we got to you in time. You know that term "sleeping with the fishes", right?" Molly said as he held Anthony's shoulders as he sat up on the docks, "In our family, we call it "Resting with Ophelia"," she explained, hot tears pouring, "I don't want my brother to rest with Ophelia, okay? Don't rest with her."_

  
  
  
  
  
  



	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter Three_

  
  
  
  


"You need to rest more." 

"Get off my cock, Nif! I can walk fine!"

"But the doctor said—" 

"Look, I get restless if I don't move my body!" Angeldust yelled, "It's not like I'm moving boulders here, I just can't sit in my bedroom with the smell of medicine getting rank!" 

Angeldust was in bed for three days, but on the fourth, he finally couldn't keep his legs being in bed anymore, and his body started to feel sore from his arms. He took his prescriptions early in the morning, and was temporarily deprived of drugs and alcohol due to his condition. It pissed Angeldust to no end that his vices were taken, yet he had no room for arguing with Charlie who fretted over him. Angeldust ended up stumbling into Alastor's room, and Niffty yelped in shock when Angeldust was sprawled on the floor, coughing and catching his breath. Alastor was in the middle of a call, and he looked resigned when he saw Angeldust be nothing but a weak body on his vintage rugs. " _I'll call you back when I'm ready to discuss more about our deal…"_ Alastor let the black handset float from his fingertips and set itself on the handle of his candlestick telephone. He sighed and picked Angel up in a bridal carry, " _You're becoming embarrassing if you keep coming into random people's rooms like this."_

"Alastor, I don't need the bed right now. I'm restless and I hate feeling sore…" 

" _Are you sure it's good of you to move around in this condition?"_ Alastor asked.

"Condition, schomdition! I feel like I'm dying here with no booze or smokes! Even the alcohols gone from the bar downstairs and Husk ain't gonna share a drip even if I blow his pussy brains out!" Angeldust yelled.

Oh well, I certainly didn't need to hear that last part, Alastor thought in exasperation. " _I must ask of you to have more restraint from saying such lewd nonsense that's going to stain my ears. Niffty kept complaining she smells dirt on you, yet the only dirty filth I see is coming from your mouth,"_ Alastor laid him on his bed, ignoring Angeldust's pouting. 

"Yeah, so? What're ya gonna do, shove a block of soap in my mouth to wash it?"

" _Is this a request or a challenge?"_

"I didn't mean it literally!" 

Alastor wasn't in the best of moods after the days passed, his own demon nature caused him to not react. He was so used to reveling in other demons misery; it brought him joy, still did, if it was a demon he disliked; then he would gleefully watch them catch fire and burn under his palms, yet, he did not feel the same joy in seeing Angeldust struggle. It always came back to Angeldust. It felt like hidden hands just led Alastor to be beside him...it was irritating. " _Are you planning on going back to your bedroom?"_ Alastor asked. 

"No...all the equipment in there is making it feel cramped, and it smells like rubbing alcohol and hospital drugs…" Angeldust replied, "Um, hey, Al?"

" _What is it?"_

"I get you're like one of the scariest demons that ever stepped foot in Hell. You're a frigging beast, and you probably have more body counts than I do yet...you're concerned over me? Am I just...one soul?" 

Alastor leaned against his cane, "You're correct, you are just one soul. I'm sure if we met under different circumstances, things would be entirely different; perhaps you would have been disposed of or made more of a slave than you were prior—demons are just stepping stones for me. I wish I understood myself, I'm just a radio demon who hardly looks at himself in the mirror." 

"That's peachy coming from you, but Al, what exactly do you think of me?"

"I think you're endearingly stupid." 

Angeldust broke into hearty laughter that made even Alastor chuckle a bit. It felt nice to hear Angeldust laugh like that. "Alastor, since I'm here. I was wondering...do you have scars from...you know-?" he said, "Um...il cane?" 

Alastor chuckled again, "I appreciate the consideration in trying to be subtle at saying about my past dog scars. However, may I be assured this isn't a plan to see my chest?" he inquired.

"Oh come on, I'm so worn out from medication I ain't gonna have a happy pants for a fucking while. I'm just...want to make sure, if the story Charlie told me was true." 

Alastor rolled his eyes, taking off his coat and unbuttoning his shirt just underneath leather strapped suspenders."I am rather surprised you don't seem bitter about yesterday compared to the rest," he sighed. Angeldust shyly smiled.

"I am _still_ pretty pissed, I just don't have the energy to yell at ya, and I'm out of booze and sm-" Angeldust paused once he saw the scars on Alastor's chest, they were ravaging dog claw marks as if Alastor was pinned down forcefully by hellhounds, yet they were considerably smaller and in the middle of his were two claw scars in an **X**. Alastor noticed Angeldust's expression and he started to button up himself; Angeldust took his hand with a tender pressure. "Please Al, it's okay. I got scars too, you know? I was Valentino's bitch and I was treated like...um…" Angeldust blanched.

"Like dog meat?" 

"Try scraps," Angeldust replied, "Can I feel them?"

Alastor shook his head, buttoning up his shirt; when he started speaking, the radio tone had returned, " _I'm_ _afraid I cannot allow that Angel. These particular scars are personal for me and I don't just allow anyone to touch them. You are only a tenant and...I am merely the co-owner."_

Angeldust chuckled, "Is that how you see it?" he said, slight disappointment in his voice, "Alastor, one last thing...since I'm all snuggled up in your luscious bed. Can I kiss you?"

Alastor snapped his fingers and a derby hat fell onto Angel's face.

" _There, here's your smooch,"_ Alastor said jokingly, and Angeldust threw the hat back at him in retaliation, " _I just need to do some research in regards we're dealing with, just do me a favor and don't go to the pool. Stay away from it."_

"Yes, mother," Angel joked before laying back. 

  
  
  


Valentino was growing restless at his strip club. He sat upon his neon pink couch like as if it was a throne; the strobe lights flashing only made him ache to see Angeldust on the catwalk as his unbridled queen of the erotic night life. Valentino tried his best to make replacements, but Angeldust was the absolute poster boy. That demonic spider was his goose that laid golden eggs, but now he had run off like a dog off his leash…

Valentino slammed his fist on the arm of the couch, causing liquor bottles to fall and break. He wasn't going to let Angeldust slide so easily. Angeldust belonged to him, he was his by that gold tooth; yet such property thought too highly of itself. 

"Hey, Bonaccorso," Valentino ordered, snapping his fingers as a signal for the large horned demon bouncer to hustle over, "Potresti aiutarmi, Bonaccorso? It's been an entire month since Angel baby has left the fucking coop! I've had my hands tied dealing with the club and trying to find a motherfucking replacement. If you know something you better tell me, before I cut off your sacks and use them as bells!" 

"Per piacere, boss," Bonaccorso replied, "I have heard only rumors, but Angel is close with, uh…"

"Close? With who?!" Valentino spat, "Where the fuck is he?!"

"The...the Radio Demon...the Radio Demon was seen with him at the Red Light square." 

" _Fuck,_ out of all the absolute forces—" Valentino growled, "We won't play fair this time; get Angel baby here. I don't care how, but he has to be alive," Valentino pulled a syringe out, filled with a light blue liquid, "Put this in his neck. He'll struggle with his limbs but he can't move if he's drugged. It's called Angel Spit, a sedative strong enough to make Angeldust be out of it...but, if he struggles, you have to inject it in his neck a certain way." 

"Like how? He's a spider d—" Bonaccorso started. Valentino slapped him across the cheek.

"Submerge his head, _you twat!"_ he yelled, "Angel hates the sensation of drowning, and with that much limbs he can't focus at one fucking thing at a time! Why do you think I left Angel out of pool parties?!"

"Submerge-? But boss, how are we going to—"

"Oh, I don't fucking know, you dumb piece of shit! Fill a bucket and put his head in, or shove his face into the sink!" Valentino handed him three syringes, "Consider the other two spares…" he noticed the club had gone silent, and he looked at his bouncer, "Off with you. Looks like we didn't need to find the radio man after all...just remember the plan." Bonaccorso waddled out the back of the strip club as Alastor walked in twirling his cane as the building echoed in total silence. The dance floor patrons retreated, and the strippers left to their back rooms in absolute fright. 

" _Well!"_ Alastor started, as he stopped several meters away from Valentino, " _I usually don't come to these establishments, it's just not my taste, but something came up and now I'm following breadcrumbs! Mister Valentino, if you could come right down I'd like to have a discussion with you!"_

"Really? You want a discussion with me? Funny, I meant to have a discussion with you," Valentino seethed. 

" _Great! An appointment we can both agree on!"_ Alastor replied, bowing politely, " _Allow me to—"_

"No, allow me to bring this subject. What happened to Angeldust?!" 

" _He's safe, and that's all I can disclose to you."_

Valentino felt more than ready to pull out the gun he carried, but he paused when Alastor wagged his finger at him, his grin wide. The atmosphere of the nightclub shattered as shadows enveloped the floor and shook the club, threatening to tear it apart.

" _Now, now, Mister Valentino, there's no need for_ **that** . _I'm just here to ask you a few questions and get_ **simple answers** . _If you can't do that and are just a tiny brained bug, I will make you_ **forfeit**." 

Valentino rolled his eyes and threw his gun aside, giving it a small kick. "You say you can't disclose information where Angeldust is at. That's not really a fair trade between demons. You know damn well that I'm still his pimp and I want him back, you backwards goat fuck," Valentino sputtered.

" _I can give you extra money if you wish, but I won't tell where Angeldust is."_

"Then I ain't answering jack!" 

Alastor, for once, scowled in displeasure. He expected Valentino to be stubborn but this hellish pimp was on a different level, " _Valentino, my good man, do you happen to have sirens working at your establishment?"_

"I told you before, I'm not answering—" Valentino suddenly felt Alastor grab him by the collar, it happened so quickly that his neck felt tight, and he noticed Alastor was holding him high above the floor as if he weighed nothing but a feather. 

" _Do you or do you not carry sirens in this establishment?! The kind that drown others in pools?!"_ Alastor yelled, " _I ask as this situation will become dire if I don't find the source of all this!"_

"So what if I do keep a few siren demons here and there...wait, drowning? Ohhh, I see the ace feral dog has a soft spot for the Italian bitch." 

" _You—"_ Alastor felt heat burn in his belly, slamming Valentino against the floor like a rag doll, " _Let me talk to your sirens tomorrow, any of them who knew or talked with Angel in the past…"_

"You're the Radio Demon. Why are you doing all this?" Valentino growled. Alastor smiled at him, dusting himself off.

"Because I'm selfish." 

  
  
  


_Too much of water hast thou, poor Ophelia,_

_And therefore I forbid my tears..._

Angeldust rushed to the bathroom of Alastor's bedroom, feeling salty water spill from his mouth and into the sink. He thought Charlie had gotten rid of all the water in his system. He hoped maybe she missed a few but the sensation of it felt like his lungs were burning; he lurched again, spitting and gagging till he felt something gritty land on the porcelain sink. Angeldust's eyes widened and he covered his mouth, letting out startled whines as he fell back in shock. He hesitantly felt his tongue, trembling as he coughed. It was dirt. It wasn't the typical dirt found in the yard, Angeldust remembered the smell and taste from diving into lakes as a teenager. "Oh fuck me…" Angeldust moaned, clutching his stomach, "Fuck me-!" 

Niffty was the first one to find Angeldust slumped over with dirt coming from his mouth; she did her best to clean it and the sink, before having his mouth clean with mouthwash. "What happened?!" Niffty explained. 

"You know what I've been asking myself that same question after I gagged up some dirt balls," Angeldust wheezed, "I sure as hell don't remember eating dirt for breakfast!" he coughed. 

"Angel...do you remember _anything?"_

Angeldust paused, still clutching his stomach, "I had a stupid nightmare about drowning in the pool again, but other than that...I can't recall anything else. I mean, I'd remember if I was drugged up enough to eat out of Al's plants," he explained. 

"Then how'd that dirt end up in your tummy?!" 

"I dunno Nif! I just hope it doesn't come out the other end!" 

Angeldust slowly got up, wobbling. He looked even more haggard than last night and struggled to keep his balance. Niffty tried to stop him but the spider demon was desperate for relief; he opened different drawers outside of Alastor's bedroom and managed to fish out an old pack of cigarettes. Angeldust hastily put it in his mouth and used a match in his pocket to light it. He slumped against an old leather chair and puffed. Niffty was livid. 

"You can't just smoke while you're sick!" Niffty scolded.

"Don't deprive me of my pleasures right now," Angeldust retorted, "If I'm lucky I can evaporate that dirt out of my system." 

"Miss Angel, you're just going to hurt yourself more than…" 

"Niffty, a fucking asswipe had his way with me many times before I was invited to this God forsaken hotel. I don't think I can hurt myself anymore than what's already happened!" Angeldust snapped. Niffty flinched and looked apologetic. "Oh, uh...sorry, Niffty, I just...my heads a wreck, I can't think clearly or remember much when I was underwater. I don't know what's going on with my brain...I just...keep tasting that awful water."

"Tasting?" Niffty said, baffled, "Does the water have chlorine?" 

"It's not...it's not chlorine…" Angeldust coughed, "It's sea salt...salt water...it won't come off my tongue no matter how much I wash it." 

Niffty snatched the cigarette, startling Angeldust and snuffed it out. "All the more reason you shouldn't be smoking!" she said adamantly, "If you keep doing this, everyone, even Master Alastor will be upset at you!" 

" _Upset with me?!_ Excuse me, sugar tits, I know you were exactly there where your master brought out the vaudeville music number, encouraging us to be indulgent. I don't see why Alastor the red freak would be upset with me disobeying doctor's orders." 

" _Because, master doesn't like to see you hurt yourself!"_ Niffty fumed.

Angeldust looked dumbstruck, "Wait, what do you mean by that?" he said, almost rendered speechless, "Besides he's the one who…" 

Niffty looked embarrassed. "Maybe you can ask him one day," she suggested before gagging again, "You know what, I'm gonna give you a second **bath**!" 

"I can clean myself, fucking seriously, Nif," Angeldust sighed. He felt just a bit better after smoking; but he had to admit, the subtle bits of earth and nicotine tasted terrible together. Niffty eventually left back downstairs letting Angeldust recline on the old chair. 

_An…_

_Anthony…_

Angeldust jolted upwards, standing up in shock once he heard his name. Even though his body felt weak he started going up to the third floor and bumped into Charlie carrying papers. "Angel?" Charlie said, nearly squeaking, her eyes widened in shock to see a drowning victim up and about. 

"Charlie, did you just call me by...my old name?" Angeldust asked. Charlie looked confused before she paused, noticing the slight smell of nicotine.

"I haven't, but why do you smell like cigarettes?" Charlie replied, "Angel, you know smoking is bad for you right now and you can't just walk around this much. You need to go back to…" 

"I've been bedridden for almost an entire week and I can't sit still!" Angeldust protested, "I ain't human no more and come with extra arms, which means when I lay down, they get sore." 

Charlie gave a wry smile, "If you want something to do. I suppose you can help me put up fliers—" Angeldust looked eager to do something outside of sleeping before she added, "—you can man the printer!"

Angeldust scoffed, "Are you trying to disappoint me so hard that I want to go back to bed?" 

"Well, if you don't want to help me. I can always call Vaggie to escort you back to the bedroom?" 

Angeldust let out a long winded sigh, "Show me where the inks are," he replied, resigning. Angeldust wasn't fond of handling the printer in Charlie's office, but it was something besides sleeping all damn day. Angeldust found himself leaning against the window curtains, and noticed the hint of blue from below which was now the hotel's pool. Angeldust slowly opened the curtains and looked below. He could see the summoning circle in the middle of it as the clear waters rippled. 

_Anthony…_

Angeldust swallowed, feeling cold sweat roll down his back. He shut the curtains and covered his face in an impulse of fear. That voice, he recognized it. He must've been really losing it if he could hear his sister Molly from the ripples. 

  
  
  
  
  
  



	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter Four_

  
  
  


Angeldust ended up calling Molly. He had grown emotional over his auditory hallucination that his twin sister had to calm him down on the other line. Molly reassured him she was all right, despite the arguments with her father at wanting him to be much more accepting of Angeldust. The call ended with that. Angeldust sat down within Charlie's office, as he did his best to make sense of things the best he could. The drowning, the nightmares, the dirt and now hearing voices echo in his ears that felt mocking at best…

Angeldust forgot about the fliers he needed to print; in such desperation he felt the need for Alastor's company. He didn't care if that red bastard only saw their relationship as business. He despised himself for feeling so vulnerable and weak. If he hadn't fallen into the pool he wouldn't have felt like shit, now he was clinging. Angeldust was clinging onto a man who probably thought so little of him, but what Niffty said just muddled the waters more. Angeldust felt his mind be throttled back to reality when he felt his shoulders be grabbed, Alastor was in front of him. Angeldust couldn't tell if it was his mind slipping because of medicine, or the Alastor before him was a mirage brought on by an inner need. Angeldust brought his palm to Alastor's cheek. 

"Oh, thank fuck. You're real…" Angeldust sighed.

" _I wasn't gone for very long. I heard from Charlie you were up here--please let go of my cheek, but also please explain to me why you're up?"_ Alastor carefully took his palm delicately with two fingers and moved it aside in mild annoyance. 

"I wanted something to do! I was just chilling here…" Angeldust explained, before going into another coughing fit, "Seriously, Al, I'm fine!" 

" _You're such a poor liar,"_ Alastor said in exasperation, " _Look will you please rest for a while longer, till your symptoms get better?"_

"I can't sit still and I'm perfectly fine! Besides, where exactly did you go? Did you shake dirty hands for a new deal?" 

" _I doubt it'll make a difference as you will find out eventually, but I met your old_ employer." 

Angeldust's eyes widened, "You met _Valentino?!_ You met Valentino, _why?!"_ he yelled. Alastor knew Angeldust would react negatively at the mention of Valentino, but he never expected such a big outburst that flowed out from rage, "Oddio! Cosa diamine stai facendo?! That man is out to get me and has no idea I'm at this hotel—" 

"He still has no idea you're here, I promise that." 

Angeldust paused, feeling his nerves calm down, for now at least. "He doesn't?" Angeldust breathed. Alastor gently let go of his shoulder.

"This is besides the point, Angel. I only have a hypothesis on what might be happening to you, but it won't be confirmed till I talk with people of interest," Alastor explained, "I visited Valentino just to narrow things down; now, what might be happening, just _might_ be a siren curse." 

"Siren? Ya really think some fish lady would curse a gay guy like me?!" 

"Nothing is written in stone yet." 

Angeldust groaned, laying back on a love-seat and stretching himself, "Well, I can admit one thing, lots of porn stars and hell prostitutes find me to be a liability; it could be because Hell's sex Industry is _way_ more demanding and competitive...but, yes, I got everyone from men and women who want my ass on a platter, as much as those that wanna bang me," he explained, "I never really thought anyone would wanna curse me. The process is slower than being killed." 

"From where I came from, curses are made into a business for some establishments. I highly doubt this is a typical curse a mere ex mortal is capable of; in my opinion it reeks of something...well, more along my line of work." 

"Everyone wants a piece of me," Angeldust sighed before getting up, "Gah, all this negativity is making me ache for sex. I'm hitting the streets!" 

" _How can you possibly think of sex at a time like this?!"_

"Hey, I'm not much of a cuddle bug by any means, but I just wanna workout my muscles and relax after a good time…" Angeldust waved him off, "It's sweet that you care for my safety and all b—"

" _Angel, I order you_ personally, _to not step foot outside!"_ Alastor commanded. 

"Oh yeah? What are you gonna do about it?" 

Angeldust regretted those words as fliers scattered from an unseen wind and scattered around the office; he shielded himself, groaning as if the force of it was threatening to throw him out the window. The room felt darker, and Angeldust could barely breathe in fright. He felt blindsided when felt claws grip his wrists in the darkness. Angeldust hesitantly opened his eyes, finding himself on the ground by Alastor's mercy. Alastor was gripping his first two wrists while shadows shaped as claws binded themselves against Angeldust's extra limbs. 

"You're a sack of shit…" Angeldust heaved, trying his best to hide the burning feelings underneath.

" _Are you so mad at me for visiting Valentino without telling you?"_

"Of course I-!"

" _Would it have made a difference if I told you, would you be less angry?"_

Angeldust flinched at that. "Nah, I would've exploded more at you, but still, goddammit, why the fuck did you want to see him?!" he snapped. Alastor subconsciously tightened his grip. 

" _As I mentioned prior to your emotional outbursts, I have a hypothesis that your curse just_ might _be siren related; if they're not creating havoc in the mortal realms, then they mostly end up like you, forced into Hell's sex work."_

Angeldust scoffed.

" _It's your fault you made me repeat myself,"_ Alastor scolded, standing before helping Angeldust up. 

"What are you gonna do if it ain't sirens after my ass?" Angeldust replied. 

Alastor shrugged, "Well, there's always Scandinavian drowning baby spirits—" 

"Forget I asked!" 

  
  


Angeldust kept protesting about laying down when he felt absolutely restless, till Alastor felt exasperated and gave in that he could tag along for a while. The appointment with two siren sex workers was more than awkward with Angeldust in the middle, still deflated from medicine. Alastor sat beside Angeldust on the couch, in the lobby of the apartment, of where the sirens lived under Valentino. The two sirens sat across from them on leather chairs, Angeldust recognized them although his memory was foggy since it had been years since he fell to Hell in the 1940s. It was odd to meet such sirens who were mostly humanoid in appearance, only they carried fish scales down to their thighs to their heels. They were both dressed in risque clothing but one sported a corset while the other was in a tank top.

The sirens sat there smoking and Angeldust couldn't hold back a cough, covering his mouth at the stench.

_"Do you ladies mind not puffing so much?"_ Alastor said in annoyance. 

"Sorry Mister Radio Demon, we weren't expecting you to get Valentino to contact us. I'm Rita, and this is Valerie; since this ain't no discussion over the usual business, what do you need us for?" Rita replied.

" _Are you two acquainted with drowning curses or spells?"_

"Sort of, we just know the basics," Valerie chuckled, "But it's much easier to pull people in the old fashioned way!" 

"So you ladies didn't curse me?" Angeldust asked. 

"No, no, good heavens no!" Rita exclaimed, "We shook hands once, and had dinner with the three of us at the PoDunk. We ain't exactly...friends, but I'm not spiteful." 

"Is this what this is about?" Valerie asked, "Angel, what happened?" 

"Near pool drowning, that's all ya need to know." 

" _Unfortunately, yes, this is the reason for our visit. I witnessed Angeldust being pulled in by an unseen force,"_ Alastor added. 

"I don't think it sounds like typical siren work," Valerie said, "Unless he heard any enchanted singing?"

"I'm gay, doll," Angeldust sighed, crossing his arms, "Not even the hottest siren on roster can lure me in. I'd probably punch them out first!" 

"I suppose you want a second opinion from us siren folk, correct?" Rita said, attempting to light a cigarette but noticed Angeldust's discomfort, "Oh, sorry...right, you nearly drowned. All right...uh, an honest to God second opinion…" she paused, trying to find the right words, "It's rare but—know someone who has a grudge against you?"

"Ya want a list?" Angeldust said, albeit rudely. 

Alastor attempted to calm Angeldust's nerves, " _Angel, do try to be more civil. These women are helping us, there's no need for that,"_ he explained softly. He felt himself regretting Angeldust with him, but Angeldust would have been fed up with staying inside, there wasn't a good enough compromise.

"Let the darling let out steam, Radio man," Rita added, "Just, uh, do me a favor though; don't let Angel go back to Valentino. Holy fuck, we're in hell and even my boss hates him. If Angel can be free, then so can the others...Val can eat hellhound shit." 

  
  


Rita politely offered them to stay overnight, but Alastor declined on Angeldust's behalf and they left into the streets of hell again. Alastor gripped onto Angeldust's hand tightly, no doubt angry more than anything that their findings left only a sliver of possibility. Angeldust was flinching along the way, Alastor had no idea where he was going for once—this entire drowning curse was angering him to no end. Angeldust found his grip had loosened at one point and his hand slipped out. Angeldust felt more than ready to give Alastor a good slap in the face, raising his hand in the air to ready himself, and all Alastor did was stare at it with a cocked head like a deer as he stood completely still. Angeldust stopped when he noticed this. So, there were moments of delayed reactions...Alastor might've been quick and one of the most powerful demons, but hell let him suffer by being _this._ "Fuck…!" Angeldust exclaimed, rubbing his face with his palms, "Ya know, maybe...maybe we both need to chill. My nerves are going outta whack and I need to calm down, and I know no sedatives ain't gonna help my bastard of-!" he stopped and looked at Alastor, all four limbs outstretched in a 'you know what I mean' manner. 

" _Then what do you suggest? In such moments where I am angered at a situation, I simply cannot calm down easily."_

Angeldust rolled his eyes, "Let's...visit an aquarium?" 

" _An aquarium?! You nearly drowned in the hotel pool, the sirens say you're cursed, and you want to be more near water?!"_

"How the fuck do you expect me to drown in a glass with fish inside that I can't even get to?" 

There was no use arguing at this point. " _I never pegged you to enjoy such things…"_ Alastor said in mild annoyance, " _Because of your lifestyle."_

"Well, _excuse me,_ for having a life outside of sex work!" Angeldust sighed, "Let's just make a visit to the Styx Aquarium and go to the hotel." 

Alastor didn't want the conversation to continue himself once he saw the hurt expression on Angeldust. He reluctantly caved in and followed Angeldust to the downtown aquarium. Alastor paid for their tickets, meanwhile Angeldust went inside. The hell sea creatures were of different breeds, because the amalgamation of lost souls made them into twisted versions of the ones in the land of the living; hell whales either looked like they exploded with creatures molding themselves into the skeleton, or were fish with horns near their gills. 

Angeldust leaned his head against the glass of the whale exhibit, his sharp nails letting a loud squeak as he scratched it in vain. Alastor tapped the glass bedside Angeldust. 

" _Please refrain from doing such a thing_ , _"_ Alastor scolded.

"I...I kinda forgot how different things are, even the fish are fucked up…" Angeldust griped, "I ain't expecting a normal goldfish or anything, but holy fuck, afterlife hell fish are disgusting."

"Some of them were once human." 

"That's what makes it worse…" Angeldust examined the whales drift in the exhibit again. Their cries were echoes of pain, and the subtle clicks were drowned out by its body screaming. "How did they even...get this way?" he asked. 

"Extermination body dumping," Alastor replied, "The soul of the body has nowhere to go once they die twice, and bodies are dumped at sea, or left in the wilderness." 

"Do...do these things remember who they were?" Angeldust asked.

"No, they just remember the pain, which is why Hell whales sing." 

Angeldust smiled, a little bitterly, "You think I might end up in my own personal hell like that? No, on second thought, I'm pretty much there already," he slammed his fists against the glass, "After what Valentino did to me...and you talking to him...of all the damn things. I-it's not that I ain't grateful for it but...I wish ya told me. I honest to God just wish you were just as honest as you were now!" 

" _I'm sorry, as I said you're merely a--"_ Alastor started. 

"Just a tenant, a patient, a client! You tell me it's business yet you're going out of your way to help me…!" Angeldust strained, "I don't...understand you." 

Alastor raised an eyebrow and approached Angeldust, " _You best relax and listen to the cries of the Hell whales; judging by your current condition, I doubt you can even get through these glass walls,"_ Angeldust was seated at the bench, covering his eyes again with his palms. He slowly let them go and stared at the dark blue waters above him...he relaxed as he listened to the whales somber song. 

_Anthony, you're free here. You'll be so peaceful here. Noone can touch you…_

_Please Anthony…_

_Please…_

Oh fuck, the disgusting sensations in his stomach returned with no abandon, and Angeldust found it hard to stand up from his boots because a thick mud was around his feet. Angeldust pulled himself away from the mud pool and let out a small scream at the manifestation. "Aw, fuck this! Fuck this so fucking hard!" Angeldust shouted, shaking off worms clinging to his boots, "I thought the curse would go away from me hotel, not follow me!" he looked around frantically, it was as if Alastor had disappeared away from the aquarium. Angeldust stumbled as he started running, going through different turns till he heard the faintest sounds of clacking of shoes in the distance. Angeldust couldn't think, he just knew he had to tell the Radio Demon of the extension of the curse and that's all his mind was screaming at him. "Alastor?! Smiles?!" Angeldust called, feeling his throat choke on the dirt grazing on it. He tailed after the sound and felt himself slam against a man dressed in a suit. He opened his eyes, happily expecting Alastor, but what stared down at him was a sharp dressed demon with a flat screen TV with a vicious grin, and with an expression that reeked of a blood thirsty nature in its static void. 

" _My, my, my...look what the cat dragged in…"_ the demon breathed, his voice sounding like a man speaking through a voice alteration device, " _Val's precious Angel cake, all cute and ready to be eaten. Can you purr for me, you slut?"_

"Where's Al?" Angeldust asked firmly.

The demon looked annoyed at Angeldust's reluctance to acknowledge him. " _You're looking for Radio Man? He ain't here, sweet cheeks. You're with Vox now."_

"Look, Voxxy or whatever…" Angeldust scoffed, "Now's not the time for pleasantries and shit. Besides, if you knew half the shit I was going through, ya might consider staying _away_ from me right now." 

" _Are you trying to weasel your way out of not recognizing me?!"_

"I'm told not to look up when I suck dick. Who are you?" 

" **I'll punch you out and break your fucking limbs if you don't respect me!** " Vox bellowed, pulling Angeldust's hair causing him to wince, " **Want me to pull so hard I can scalp you?! You can lose these pretty little white locks and look like a skinned dog, you fucking bug!** "

"Ay, fuck you, you fucking scalp me, I'll break your screen so hard you'd barely have a neck to balance. Oh the big bad TV headed shitfuck thinks he's tough as brass and out the ass; not on my chinny chin chin ya brutto figlio di puttana bastardo!" Angeldust sputtered in furor, ready to pull out his weapons, but remembered Charlie had taken them away due to his health. Angeldust scoffed under his breath. Vox's smirk turned into a crescent grin. 

" _All talk, no bite, eh, Angel cakes?"_ Vox mocked. 

"I'm warning ya, I ain't someone you wanna mess with at this moment...armed or not." 

" _Why is that?"_

"I'm cursed, I thought it was just at the hotel but nah, it follows me. You stay with me, you might have the other end of it. I'm giving you a chance to drop shit and run." 

Vox laughed in disbelief, " **Cursed?!** _Angel, this is Hell! We're all motherfucking cursed in one way or another! So, what'd you do? What kind of curse is it?"_

"Drowning." 

" _Val did tell me you're a mafia boy…"_ Vox teased, " _Is that the reason you came to the aquarium, to reminisce on kicking fuckers into the sea like sacks?"_ Angeldust refused to say anything, feeling the water bubble in his throat as he thought of the day with his lungs filling up. He covered his mouth and coughed harshly as if he might regurgitate, till the salt water spilled on Vox's screen and suit. The earthy dirt clung on to the fabric and it reeked...that salt water sensation was stagnant. " _Fuck! FUCK! You puked on my suit! What the fuck is this?!"_

Angeldust coughed, "Told you I'm cursed…"

" _Curse?! This ain't shit! You've been holding in that fucking water and decided to release it now!"_ Vox dragged Angeldust to the bathroom of the facility. He forcefully turned on the cold water and plugged the bottom up with a glove. Angeldust exclaimed with a "What the fuck are you doing?!" before he felt his head be pushed in, Vox was holding him down as the spider demon flailed and screamed. 

Alastor returned inside of the aquarium, swinging his cane casually. He chatted with those who owned the aquarium, if only to stretch his research more for Angeldust's benefit but not much was found. Alastor was surprised to see Angeldust no longer at the bench anymore which perplexed him. He wasn't gone for long, but with no clock in here it was easy to feel time had stopped. "Angel?" Alastor called, "Angel…?" he stepped forward to one of the halls; his confusion was raised as water came from the drinking fountains in a stream pooled around him. He knelt down and felt the water with his claw. He smelled and tasted it. This wasn't just the salt from a sea...this was a salt that reeked from corpses. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter Five_

  
  
  


_Ophelia was driven to madness and threw herself into the lake to drown. That part of Hamlet, became the phrase used by Anthony's family as they disposed of enemies with weighted pockets and ropes tied with rocks, after being driven to their limit, the target would_ beg _to die. "You get to sleep with Ophelia, aren't you lucky?" It was venomous and intimidating. It was also their families favorite method as fishing up a corpse from the ocean was too much effort. The police and firemen, divers and searchers were useless. What could they find left of evidence on a cadaver absorbed by the sea, who was a meal to fish who were either predators or scavenging for scraps._

_Human corpses tend to bloat from being in water too long, and anything useful was gone by then, the only thing left was the pungent smell of salt…_

_The tale of Ophelia, her madness was brimming in the family blood, her death in Hamlet, was the new insanity of the line._

  
  
  


" **Stop struggling and take it, you bitch!** " Vox shouted as Angeldust aggressively rose up for air from the bathroom sink. Angeldust felt his composure return briefly, and kicked Vox in the stomach hard with his boot. The TV demon moaned clutching his stomach when the heel struck it's hardest. Vox felt himself be pulled by the collar and forcefully shoved into the sink that Angeldust was forced into moments ago. Angeldust felt a burning anger that treated the Overlord as another victim—a poisonous voice whispered that Angeldust should shove harder, muffling Vox's screaming into blubbers from water in his mouth. Vox's strength suddenly returned, he pushed Angeldust backwards, and slammed him against the stall door. Angeldust felt his voice croak out in pain as he coughed out more dirt from the impact; he clutched his stomach and glared up at Vox. " _Ohhh Angel Cakes, you disappoint me so much…_ " Vox taunted, " _I expected much more out from a spider demon like yourself, but you're nothing without packing heat and being sick, huh?!"_

"Sl…" Angeldust breathed. Vox pulled him up and punched him again in his stomach, Angeldust lurched and groaned. He felt Vox's arm keeping him cornered and bit into it before Vox could throw another onto his body. Vox cried out and slammed him again, making Angeldust dizzy.

" _You motherfucking little wretch!"_ Vox yelled, " _Better hope I don't kill you, so I can save you for later!"_

"What...what the hell are you gonna do with a cursed man, Voxxy?" 

" _Ya ain't cursed! You're a delusional shit!"_

"What are you gonna do...if you're wrong?" 

Vox glared, " **What makes you think you're** —" he paused, hearing something like a pipe leaking and trickling from outside of the bathroom. Vox let go of Angeldust watching water seep from underneath the bathroom door. Vox raised an eyebrow at the sight of green leaves and petals. " _What the hell is this…?"_ Vox growled. Angeldust caught his breath, rubbing his throat before he could find the will to speak again.

"It's...it followed me...like I told you…" 

" _This slutty little spider thinks he's a joker!"_ Vox hissed, pulling out a pocket knife, " _Now, get up. You're coming with me whether you like it or not. I don't know what you caused, but pipe bursting ain't shit!"_ Angeldust shivered before he looked at the door, hearing a low creak. " _Didn't you hear me?! I said get up!"_

"You open it first, Voxxy," Angeldust replied, "You roughed me up so bad I can't stand." 

" _Are you fucking joking!"_

"Do _I_ look like I'm joking, TV man?" Angeldust snapped, slumping against the door. Vox retracted the blade and begrudgingly started opening the door; he impacted into the first stall from a harsh wave that collided with him. Angeldust crawled underneath the supernatural waves and noticed the water was rising up his boots. 

Ah fuck! Angeldust's mind screamed. He needed to find Alastor and quickly before this damn curse crushed him like Vox. Angeldust ignored the pain as he went to the next floor of the aquarium, hearing Vox starting to claw at the sentient waves like a dog. Angeldust felt his mind blanking with each step up the facility stairs before slamming the second floor door. "Al…?" Angeldust called. It hurt to yell, his throat felt sore from just breathing, "Alastor?" The facility was dead silent on this level, Angeldust didn't know whether to be angry or relieved. He felt his legs crumple to the floor, dizziness taking over. He clutched his head and trembled. 

  
  


Whatever came from the pool was tediously trying to use any or all of the water it could get its hands on, Alastor had observed as the water started to rise; and he heard growls from a bathroom from the farthest in the back. He half expected Angeldust but raised an eyebrow at seeing Vox soaked from head to toe, dirt on his suit and his TV antenna bent from the wave that struck him. Alastor rolled his eyes, he cleared his throat, breaking his radio tone due to the severity of the situation. "I never expected to see _you_ here," Alastor said, his smile for once breaking into a look of anger, "What have you done with Angeldust?" 

" _Why do you care?"_

"Because if you don't tell me, I'll beat it out of you," Alastor slightly twisted his cane and the mic glowed a fierce red as it extended just enough to reach Vox's cane. Vox smirked, chuckling half hearted through his pain.

" _That's not fair, deciding to fight me then I'm like this,"_ Vox said.

"That's the thing about you and me, Vox, we never fight fair. Now I shall not repeat myself, and you better answer. Where _is_ Angeldust?" 

" _The stupid slut ran off when a wave came out of nowhere and fought me against the wall!"_ Vox yelled in a furor, livid he was so blindsided, " _I dunno where he went to after that…"_ he blanched and gripped his pants, " **GAH!** _Fuck! That stream made me swallow so much—I need to piss!"_

"Remember to close the stall," Alastor commented, slamming the bathroom door. He eyed a broken pipe and wrapped around with elegant shadows, added a chair beneath the knob, magically shoved the nearest benches with an added sink on top, "Have fun with getting out, Vox…" Fighting his overlord rival would have to wait. Alastor took a deep breath and did a gesture to his shadow whose fang grin could be seen on the wall. Alastor snapped his fingers, his shadow evaporating into crows that slammed into the water and the flood color slowly changed into a black hue and solidified. Alastor carefully stepped onto the new floor, leaving ripples as he walked. This was only temporary, and there was a time limit, Alastor hurried upstairs and broke the second floor door off hinges with a mere grip of his fist. 

The second floor was better off as a graveyard, it was mostly silent aside from the tanks and filters running. The buzzing from the lights above irritated Alastor's ears but he ignored the sensation, focusing more on getting to Angeldust first; Alastor wondered if Lucifer had even caught wind of the anomaly by now. If the king hadn't, there would be trouble later when he did. Alastor didn't have the patience for the damn apple king, and he sure as hell didn't expect Lucifer to be coy about this situation. Alastor scoffed just thinking about it, but Angeldust came first…

Alastor placed his hand against the wall, now noticing the once linear hallway that should have had another set of stairs had brought him around in a spiral, or circle; the entity was doing its best to make sure Alastor couldn't reach Angeldust. It was petty trickery. Alastor raised up his cane and swung it against the aquarium glass. It didn't crack, nor break. It felt like a decoration. Alastor smiled, fixing his monocle.

"Is this the limit of your powers?" Alastor questioned, "Or can you barely move in such a building?" he mocked, spinning his cane in such a way that it was like a windmill; red smoke picked up under his feet like fire and snapped his fingers. The hallway twisted and cracked in its form, the floor crumbling beneath his feet and walls shattered. Alastor snapped his fingers again, the illusions evaporating into a red sphere of clouded energy that he slowly drank up from his palm. The hallway had returned before him, however Angeldust was in front of Alastor with a wild look in his eyes as he clutched a broom. "I see…" Alastor tutted, "This curse doesn't want to play fair at all...oh well." 

Angeldust slammed the broom into Alastor's chest, but the Radio Demon barely winced. He kicked Angeldust's legs to make him crumple on the floor, and gave a "polite" slap across his face.

" _Asshole!"_ Angeldust snapped, instantly. 

"Nice to see you too," Alastor replied, dryly, "We best go before we run out of floors. The aquarium is flooding." 

"No shit, Sherlock!" Angeldust yelled. He slowly got up rubbing his head and cheek. "Can you explain to me how that stupid TV fucker knows you?" he added. Alastor rolled his eyes. 

"He's not a priority as of now. If anything, Vox is a liability."

"That doesn't answer my question, Smiles!" 

"You really think the situation right now is a good time to speak of this?!" Alastor retorted, "This mere curse is getting out of hand because of the power it's gaining here. _We're running out of time!"_ he took Angeldust's hand with a worried painted grin as they trudged floor after floor. Alastor found it odd that the curse could not touch the wildlife; it would have had a greater advantage against him, at least giving the Radio Demon trouble to pass through not without his more powerful spells. Alastor forcefully shoved Angeldust to the sixth floor once the ground below them started to crumble, the spider demon fell and expected a spectacle of water shooting through like a geyser, yet what appeared was a flat screen TV and incomprehensible grunting and insult throwing. Alastor sighed, begrudgingly helping Vox out of the hole he somehow made with his TV head. "What am I going to do with you?" Alastor exclaimed. 

" _You locked me in, ya piece of fossilized entertainment shitlord!"_ Vox sputtered, " _Don't you remember?!"_

"I tend not to remember anything involving _you_ , actually." 

Vox looked more than ready to strangle Alastor on the spot, before exclaiming in shock when Angeldust pulled his arm down to reach his face, and felt around his head for dials and switches. " **Quit it! That's my face! Let go of my face! Alastor, make him let go of my face!** " Vox cried out in humiliation. Alastor held back the urge not to break into laughter. 

"Quit your whining! I have an idea to hold back the curse, but I dun know if your stupid idiot TV head even comes with weapons, or something...ya got anything flashy?" Angeldust asked. 

" _Flashy? Like lasers?"_

"I find smoke machines more lovely." 

" _Shut up Alastor!"_ Vox snapped. 

"Look, do ya have anything super powerful you can blast at the water---while Smiles here, can...I dunno...shoot it upwards when he gets enough power going?" 

Alastor pondered, "Like a slingshot?" he asked. Angeldust replied with only an enthusiastic nod. Vox rolled his eyes. 

" _So is this stupid spider slut your new boyfriend----blurrrrgggh!!"_ Vox felt the swift end of the cane between his knees and he let out a TV flat line tone. 

"Do you _want_ to be bait instead?" Alastor threatened, "Because **I'm more than ready to throw you to the wolves!"**

" _Point...taken…"_ Vox wheezed, " _Fine...I'll help, but you damn well owe me for this! Hey, Alastor, what about the pause spell you can…"_

"I just used it. This water is making me exhausted. Well, you're more durable, use your flashy...laz-OR thing! You bloody idiot!" 

" _Tramp_." 

"Chode." 

Angeldust looked more than exasperated, pushing Vox in front of the door as the overlord readied his dials in the correct order. He then placed Alastor at the farthest end of the room to make a trajectory. Angeldust flinched as his legs gave weight again. He crumbled against the aquarium wall, moaning in pain at his legs cramping up. 

Alastor felt himself instinctively pull the spider demon close to him, noticing an odd pink glow from his eyes then. 

  
  


_ANTHONY! ANTHONY! ANTHONY!_

  
  


The walls were howling, and the pooling of petals and water were more fiercer than ever. Alastor handed Angeldust his cane mic, before raising palms forward, a fiery hot brimstone of power painted in the air like a paintbrush.

  
  


_ANTHONY! ANTHONY! ANTHONY!_

  
  


"Belligerent idiot box, how long does it take to crank up that power of yours?!" Alastor yelled. 

" **YOU TRY TWISTING YOUR OWN KNOBS ON YOUR FACE, YOU GODDAMN BAMBI ASS!** " Vox retorted, " **BECAUSE YOU'RE A BAMBI ASS WITH NO TASTE!** " 

  
  


_ANTHONY…_

  
  


_PLEASE!_

  
  


The door. The door was being pressured by heavy water and the room was filling with it. Vox's face lit up with a fierce shine as the door broke into debris, and a torrent of water with hands and arms coming out of it shot out, only to be blasted with a beam so fierce that it recoiled. Angeldust moaned more in pain, clutching his head. He banged his fists to the floor hearing a dull flat noise through his ears. It was driving him mad, this instinct, this craving...it was dark, cold...it felt like an overflow of unbridled furor. Vox was too terrified to turn around as he blasted a beam from his TV screen, and raised up his palms to push this _thing_ out farther. It felt unnatural in his claws; it was natural for water to feel hardened when pressured, but this was almost like stone, and his claws crackled with each push back. “ _Urrrgh_ , _it’s like fighting a mountain! What the fuck is this thing?!”_ Vox grunted. Alastor pulled Angeldust up and forcefully put him behind his back.

“Vox! Let it go now!” Alastor yelled, “Mustn’t keep our guest waiting now...can we?”

Vox was flipped onto his side the moment the beam had stopped, and the torrent of water flung into the ceiling breaking every pipe, every wall above, as if it was nothing more than paper being shredded. Alastor fell back, as he watched the scene above him; it was a spiral of water, twisting itself and releasing rain on the residents of Pentagram City. It roared out in a legion of screams only to be zapped by a strike of lightning. Lucifer somehow dissipated the sentient waters by the constant light of his cane, and releasing vines that enveloped it. Alastor for once embraced the sickeningly sweet smell of apples.

The king of Hell landed next to the three, and teleported them outside with a snap of his fingers. Vox blanched before his presence not expecting Lucifer in the first place to come to their rescue, but now Vox and Alastor were equally soaked from head to toe with their fine suits torn and their claws and faces scratched and bloodied from the sentient flood. Lucifer sighed, fixing his top hat, and crossed his arms. "Well?" Lucifer broke the silence with such a simple question that the two overlords recoiled like children being caught.

" _Well what?!"_ Vox wheezed.

"Mind by explaining what in _goddamned nine circles_ was that?!" Lucifer yelled, placing his hands to his hips, "I've been here, for who knows how long, and I haven't seen such a...weird water thing...in years! Who was trying to pull a Moses and pulled a motherfucking hydra out of their ass?!" 

" _Such eloquence, his highness speaks like a juvenile,_ " Vox muttered. Vox yelled when he felt his antenna be bent in two separate directions. 

"Go off and shove your head in the nearest cassette player, you floppy disk thin headed prick," Lucifer raised up his palm and Vox fell on his face, "Honestly, these subjects of mine." 

"It's a long story, your highness," Alastor replied, he felt his claws stinging as he moved them, "Just know this is somehow centered around a drowning curse." 

Lucifer raised an eyebrow, "Scandinavian drowned baby spirits?" 

Alastor cleaned his monocle, and adjusted it. "I wish it were...they sound absolutely preferable!" he replied. Alastor put Angeldust on his back noticing despite being less physically hurt, Angeldust was continuing to groan out. "Come on, dear, I'm not letting you catch a cold in this condition…" Alastor said softly. Lucifer raised an eyebrow, his grin growing wide now seeing the circumstances a little clearer. 

"My, my, old Al' has gone soft for a stripper of all things." 

"Oh, be quiet...your light show was rusty!" 

  
  


There was almost an instant uproar once Alastor stepped inside the hotel with Angeldust on his back. Vaggie and Charlie helped Angeldust to his bedroom, while Husk looked on in heavy concern. Husk stared at his empty cheap liquor bottle and sat next to Alastor at the bar counter. Husk took a deep breath, trying not to let his emotion eat him in one gulp. Husk couldn't lie, he felt furious and useless, but he felt all the more agitated that Angeldust was hung up on Alastor. Even more so when the stakes were growing high. Husk found it hard to admit that he too had gambled in hoping Alastor would protect Angeldust; but instead…

Husk banged his fist on the table counter, letting out growls like a guard dog, but Alastor ignored it. He politely took off his wet red suit and folded it on his lap, the dog scratches now more visible because of his dress shirt being wet to the point the fabric wrinkled. 

"I don't understand what Angel sees in you!" Husk barked, his wings spreading in aggression, as cards went flying from underneath his feathers. "He always comes running around to be with you and _you put him in more danger than he already was!"_

Alastor was deflated of most of his energy, with exhaustion in his expression. "Husker...let me be while I...recuperate myself...I don't want any useless bickering…" Alastor breathed softly. Husk felt more than insulted at the reply. 

" _Useless? USELESS?!"_ Husk shouted in anger, " _You telling me, being concerned about Angel means nothing to you?! He wants to tag around you like one love sick puppy, he nearly gets hurt again, and you motherfucking deer cun—"_

"Drop it, Husk!" Alastor strained, "Just...drop it." 

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, this is my first time writing a Hazbin Hotel fanfic and while being a slash multi shipper, I am mostly RadioDust trash. I love these dorks to death, and I love their dynamic in particular. XD I love how these two act being in the same room in general.  
> This fic was inspired by the What The Water Gave Me, one of my favorite Florence and the Machine songs and you know, spiders and water. I will update soon as I can.


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